3 minute read
WOMEN'S MONTH PROMOTION
5 0 % O F F !
C'mon boys, spoil that special lady in your life, or girls, get some mates together and spoil yourselves!
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CRAWFORD'S BEACH LODGE
Starting at R795pp sharing, plus 50% of all Spa treatments
Inclusions: accommodation, breakfasts, 4 course dinners
T's & C's: minimum 2ngt stay, available for the month of august only, use code "WONDER WOMEN" when booking to receive 50% off Spa treatments
WONDER WOMEN
interview with Lyn Crawford
Quite frankly every month should be Women's Month, because who would we be without the special ladies in our lives... so we had a chat with hotelier, wife, mom and grandmother, Lyn Crawford, and what pearls of wisdom we received indeed.
Read on....
josh: I feel I have been very fortunate to sit and hear first-hand some of the incredibly colourful stories about the history of Crawford’s and your multifaceted journey as a hotelier. When you were starting out in hospitality in the 70’s and 80’s, was it also a fairly male dominated industry and what challenges did you face being the boss?
lyn: We were fortunate enough to work as a team on the Wild Coast at Umngazi River Bungalows and we learnt so much from the people who worked there and built up a wonderful relationship with the clients at the time. We find that the children of our clients over the years are now our clients with their children.
josh: Working so closely with Ian over the years, how have your own unique skill sets complimented each other and what strengths of yours have been pivotal to the success of your business interests?
lyn: My husband was the publican and front of house, and I handled the reservations, admin and the details behind the scenes. We found it important to concentrate on our strengths in the business and this meant that we complimented each other.
josh: Like most entrepreneurs, I am sure your journey to this point has also been fraught with challenges and some risks that didn’t pay off, can you share with the young entrepreneurs out there how you found the strength to face these challenges and the mind-set needed to conquer them?
lyn: As a team, my husband and I have faced tremendous adversity over the years, and the thing to remember is to always bounce back and to learn to accept rejection with humility, but keep
josh: Being a wife and mother to two sons, what did you do to find that work life balance when you were starting out, and how did you manage to juggle your time between business and family in such a demanding industry?
lyn: I brought up two sons whilst breast feeding and working in reception, but in this environment, the joy was that the kids were always close to us.
josh: In this day and age, what do you feel are the biggest challenges facing young women in South Africa wanting to create a career in Hospitality?
lyn: The Hospitality industry is very suited to women and in this environment there is nothing standing in their way to achieving their goals at all to levels of the industry. In our business we have many more women than men which bears fruit to this.
josh: Looking back, what would you do differently and what would you do again?
lyn: I am very passionate about the hospitality industry and love living along our beautiful coast at Chintsa East. The things I would do differently would be, to stick entirely to this industry and not branch out into other avenues which did not always work out.
I think I have made no bones about the way my wife and I feel about Crawford's Beach Lodge... we absolutely love it! The attentive, warm and welcoming staff, the casual feeling of the dining environment and the attention to detail, that doesn't take a rocket scientist to know, it's a woman's touch!
Being surrounded by men, it is clear Lyn you are the cement between the bricks, and as a frequent guest, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your hard work and dedication, ensuring Crawford's is, and will always be, one of the best beach hotels in the Eastern Province.
We salute you!
